Wire-stretcher



(No Model.)

T. HUSTON.

, WIRE STRETGHBR.

N0. 298,385. Patented Mayl, 1884.

Unire STATES Arena lliV F F ICF;

vWIRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,385, dated May 13, 1884.

Application filed July l2, 1883,

To a/ZZ whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS HUsToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Wire- Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wire-stretcbers; and it consists ot' a wooden handle hinged to ablock ot' wood or other niaterial, the connected ends ot' each being plated with iron in a crimped7 shape, the block having sharp studs on one side and a ring and staple in the other.

The objects of my invention are to construct acheap and simple wire-stretcher and to facili# tate the stretching of fence-wire. I attain these objects bythe mechanism illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a perspective View of a stretcher in use, and Fig. 2 is a View of a stretcher.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both views.

The block or body a consists of a piece of wood about tive inches wide and three inches thick, one side ot' which is shown in Fig. 1 with a ring, d, attached to it, and the other side is shown in Fig. 2 with a part oi'a hinge, e, and two sharp studs,` c', secured to it. A handle, b b', which is made of wood, about three feet long, is secured to the said block by the other halt' of the hinge in the manner shown by the drawings. The two joining ends ofthe parts a I) are plated with sheets of iron, c c. The plates are secured to the ends by screws c. and are crimped or bent in the center, as shown, for the purpose hereinafter described.

As thus constructed, the stretcher is used to (No model.)

stretch fence-wire by placing the block a against one side of the post B, just where the wire A crosses it, and allowing the wire to drop between the ends into the space f when the handle b is moved back, all as shown .in Fig. 1. Then, by bringing the handle back straight, (as indicated byA dotted lines,) the studs catchintothe post and the wireiscrimped or bent between the two iron plates, sothat it cannot slip. By moving thehandle in the direction indicated by the arrow the wire may be stretched as desired, and the staples Oniay be driven up, holding it tirrnly. Moving the lever forward again releases the wire, andthe saine operation may be performed on all the wires as often as neccssa ry.

When the body a cannot be placed against the post, a cord may be secured to some distant object and to the ring (l, whereby the same operation may be performed bythe stretcher I am aware that it is notnew to forni a wirestretcher with hinged clamping-jaws between which the wire is held, and with a lever-han die; hence I make no claim to such a device, broadly considered.

Having thus described myinventi0n,I claim the following, and desire tosecure the same by Letters Patent:

In a wire-stretcher, the combination, with the block b, having a handle, b', and an indented plate, c', ofthe block a, hinged to the .the block b, and faced with aprojecting plate,

c, and provided with studs or prongs and a ring, as described.

THOMAS HUSTON. 

